Canon 350D Hap Griffin Baader Mod
5x180sec at iso 1600
30 Darks/Flats/Bias
APM/TMB 130/780

Small Wonders: Ophiuchus June, 2009 (Tom Trusock)

Messier 107 (NGC 6171) is another additional object found by Pierre Méchain in April, 1782. It may be the Messier object which was the latest to be discovered. Eventually, Helen Sawyer Hogg added it to the Messier Catalog in 1947, together with M105 and M106, although it appears probable that already Méchain had intended to add it to a future edition of Charles Messier's list.

M107 apparently contains some dark obscured regions, which is unusual for globular clusters. Its distance is about 21,000 light years, and it's diameter is roughly 80 light years. M107 is approaching us at 147 km/sec, contains about 25 known variables, and as a globular cluster, is of intermediate metallicity (abundances of elements heavier than Helium).

June 5. 2008